Harris colt



E. K. ROOT, Deod. M. G. ROOT & E. & H. CULT, Executors.

RBVOLVING FIREARM.

No. l5,510. Patented June 4, 1867.

ui fftrs'.

MATILD ROOT ANDELISHA COLT, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTIQUT,AND HARRIS COLT, OF NEW YORK, Y.,EXECUTORS OF E. K. ROOT, DE'CEASED; ASSIGNRS TO COLTSv PATENT FIRE-ARMS COMPANY, OF H'ARTFORDrCONNECTICUT.

Letters PatentNc. 65,510, dated #Tuna fi, 18.6'17.

fitta Stimuli "nitrati-tu inttgtsr Entit @anni mit mating peut tf tigt same.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: i

Y Be it kiiownjth'at E. K. ROOT, deceased, late of Hartford, in the county'of Hartford, and State of Connectient., did inrentcertain new and useful Improvements in Repeating Fire-Arms, ofwhich the following is a fnll, l clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, andto the letters of reference inarked'thereom i l l (,Figure l -is a side elevation ofa repeating p-istol embracing the invention made the subject of this application.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the sa'me. l

-Figure is a topview of the same;`and

Figure 4 is a cross-section atlthc line :c'w ot" fig. 2. l

In lthe several figures the same part will be found designatedh31 the same letter of reference.

Previous to this invention it has -been customary to so construct and adapt the chambered hreech-hlock or rotating Acylinder as to render it necessary to4 introduce 'the cartridges to be redtherefrom always at the same end ofthe cartridge-chamber, and in thezuse of-y iixed ammunition ormetallic cartridges this method of construction has rendered it necessary to employ some means'o'f extracting the' empty cases of the exploded cartridges before the same chambers could be reloaded. To dispense with this necessity, and accomplish the reloading without having to previously entra-ct Athe empty cartridge cases, is the object of the first part of this invention, which consists in the employment o'f a reversible breech-block or riylinder which can be .arranged ,.tnfithfe'ither end adjacentttothebarrel,.-andathenhamber A4 ot lwhich eaaLheloadedfrnmneither direction` so that after the cartridges have been exploded the cylinder may be removed, the eqtn'ptycases be forced out by the introduction at the opposite'ends of the chambers of fresh cartridges, and the reloaded cylinder beV then replaced Lin a' reversed position betweerrthe barrel and hammer, as will .be hereinafter more fully' described.

.In that class offiirc-arms to whichthis invention relates', it is a great desideratum to embody some means of easily eecting thefremoval and replacement .of the cylinder, to'aceompiish which Objectis the 'aim of the `second'lpart of this invention7 which, to this 0nd,' consists in hanging or arranging thc cylinder on two centres or hase-pieces, one extending from the hreech-plate intorthe rear end of the cylinder, and the other from the barrel or forward portion of the frame into the front end of the cylinder, andbeing pivotedor hinged `to saidr'ear portion of barrel (or forward part of frame) 'so that when the rear hase-pin is withdrawn the cylinder can swing out from the frame'r: the hinged base-pin, and then be slid oil' of said hingedl base-pin, as will be presiently more fully explained.

To afford a stronger frame in proportion to the material employe-.in and at the .same time permit the removal in a downward direction of4 the cylinderl from vthe frame, is the object of the third part 'of this invention, which consists in so forming the frame as to constitirte, virtually, straps o'r .bands v'extending from the breech-plate to the rear end of barrel, running almost or quite wholly above' the axis of the cylinder, and on euch side of the chamber which is in line with the barrel, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

To make'more clear the severalfeatnres of this invention, and enable those skilled in thc art ,to make and uso a lire-arm embodying this invention, the following full description is given, referring by letters to the several partsof the pistol illustrated inthe drawings.

A A represent the frame; B the barrel; D the stock; IIthe hammer; I thc guard, andj the trigger of a repeating pistol embracing my improvements. C is a manycl'ianibered'rotary cylinder, the chambers -n of which are bored through and through. The barrel B has its rearend screwedA into the frame A', and the cylinder C v.is adapted to turn on base-pins, af, in suchananuer that its chambers, n, may in succession lie brought in line with the bore of the' barrel B to he fired. It isrproposed to eect the rotation of the cylinder C through the medium oftlierear base-pinjiiby means of any suitable actuating mechanism operating on the said base-pin,) and for this purpose the forward end of said pinfis made to project into the cent-ralholeor bore of the cylinder, and is p-rovidedwi-th a short feather or key, z', which fitr` in Vthe spline or longitudinal groove, 1u, in such manner as torclutch the Icylinder to the end of said pinf and cause the cylinder always to rotate with the pin f. The cylinder C is further sustained by (and rotates upon) another pin on. stud, e, which projects or extends into the 4forward'end of the central bore of the cylinder, and to animali4 ygreaterextent than pin f, and which 65.510 n la pine is hinged at a to the forward portion of the'fra-rne in' such ,n1-miner as to be capable of swinging down, as seen at lig. l, (to permitthe removal and replacement of the cylinder, as will be presently explained.) 'l'hc chambers A1t of the cylinder are bored through, et' ,it-cylindrical form, and both ends of the cylinder, is will be seen, are of the saine size andA shape precisely, and the grooreui being run through the whole length of thev cylinder, it is obvious that saideylinder .may he placed -on its centres or base-pins with either end next to the barrel. As before stated, the object of having the cylinder tlms'rerersible is that the cylinder` may be loaded from either end, as will nowvbe explained. A

Suppose the chambers n to have been loadcdwith the ordinary flanged cartridges. (as seen at 7,), iig. 2,)1md

the saiil cartridges to have been exploded. Now to reload theehambers (with tho same hind of cartridges) theeatch-pin g is pulled out so that the base-pin fmny be drawn back, (as seen at iig. 1,) whereby thc rear end of cylinder C is left. unsupported. Said cylinder and its base-pin c are now swung down and away' from the frame A A', as seen at iig. 1, and the cylinder removed entirely from the arm (with the emp'.y cartridge cases sticking in its chambers.) Loaded cartridges are no'w forced or pushed into the opposite ends of the chambers n, (in the direction indicated hy red arrows, 1,) forcing out the empty cases, and the cylinder is placed again on its pin c withtha-t end next to the barrel which was before next to the breech-plate and hammer. The cylinder is swung back in to line with the barrel andthe pin f pushed in and locked (longitudinally) by thecatch-pin Vg, when the arm is ready to be again fired. The peculiar. shape ofthe frame is elearlyillustrated in the drawings, where itwili be seen that in lieu of the breech-plate or rear portion being united or connected to that portion into which the rear end of the barrel is scrcwed'hy means of bands running along above' and below the cylinder, the fra-me is all open under the cylinder, and open directly over the cylinder, the portions A (see iigs. 1, 3, 4,) running along above the level of the base-pins and each side of the chambers in line or nearest in line with the barrel'. By this form of frame it will be seen that the stock or material relied oni-o prevent the severance of the forward from the rear portionof the frame (by the concussionof the dscharge,) is arranged in the most advantageous manner, since it extends in parallel straps, so to-speak, running directly adjacent to the chamber being filled, and from the rear end of the barrel to that part-of thefbreeclnplate which receives the recoil of'the charge. By this disposition ofthe stock or material ofthe frame the same may be made extremely light, and'at the same time'sutlcientiy strong. AAnother great advantage of the form of frame shown is, that it permits the removal .of the cylinder downward or away `from the lower part of the frame (when hold in the hand in a. natural-'position for the useof the army.) Auditwill be understood that thisffeature of the invention is applicable, with the same advantages ashore ascribed to it, to other arms not having the-cylindcr hung in 'the manner here described, or made to reverse in loading, .as horeinbefore set forth.

It will b e seen that by hanging the cylinder C on a hinged pin, as "shown and described, (which extends nearly through it,) and having its rear end sustained by a pin,f, held laterally in a bearing, as set forth, the cylinder may be removed and replaced with great facility, while the pin 7" has to be moved only a shortdistance longitudinally, and that there are no other parts' diseonnected'in-the removal of the cylinder. And it will be understood that this feature of hangingthc removable cylinder-on the hinged base-pin in a solid frame, may he employed with advantage in an arnrnot embracing the other feafuresof invention hereinbefore described, and that the hinged pin may be employed in connection with a frame so constructed that the said pin would have to swing (with the cylinder) out from the side of the framein lien of downward, ashcrein set forth. In the-application of this feature of the present in iprovements to a pistol in which the cylinder was not reversible, the pin c would be very'onvenient as a device or means for forcing or pushing out the empty cartridge eases.

It. will be understood tira-t the first feature of my invention, which really rests on the idea of an arm so constructed that' its removable breech-block, a cylinder may be loaded and reversed in the frame, as herein. before set forth, may be employed under a great variety of modifications. In lieu of so forming the cylinder as to have it rotated by the rea-r base-pin, as described, itmay he formed with a ratchet in each end. and be turned direetlyby the actuating pawl or hand of the pistol, or .the cylinder may bc turned by hand without departing from the spirit of the invention covered by thijsfirst feature as characteristic.

Having fully explained the invention so that those skilledin the ar'r can widerstand the several features of improvement and make and use a fire-arn| embracing them. what is claimed as new. and desired to bosecured by Letters Patent,'is I i A 1. The employment, in combination with a removable breech-block or, cylinder-,tof a vibratorv base-pin, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. i

2. -The employment, in eombinatioii with a rotatory hnsc-pin, of a cylinder bored through, when tho whole 'is so constructed 'and arranged that the cylinder may he placed on the said buse-pin and engage therewith with either end forward, as and for. the purpose set forth.

3. The employment, in connection with stock, barrel, and a swinging cylinder, of a frame A', of the'sh'ape substantially as described, so as to permit thc'removal and replacement of the cylinder in the manner set forth. In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals as executors of the last will and testa-ment 'of E. K. ROOT, deceased.

MATILDA C. ROOT, [1.. s] ELISHA COLT, [1.. 5.] Witnesses: HARRIS COLT. ,[L.

JOHN HOOKR to M. C. ROOT and E. COLT.

H. K W. WELCH. J. McIN'rinr, YuARLs .Srrnnn 

